The invention relates to polishing a vehicle tyre.
Various automatically operated washing apparatuses are used in automatically washing vehicles. The washing apparatus may comprise one or more fixedly positioned washing devices, for instance, in relation to which a vehicle moves while the washing device washes the surface or part of the vehicle facing the washing device. The washing apparatus may also comprise one or more movably positioned washing devices that are arranged to move in relation to a stationary vehicle.
The washing apparatuses described above may also have a polishing device for polishing the side of a vehicle tyre. A known polishing device has long foam-plastic pieces which are fixed to a floor structure and to which polishing agent is sprayed from the inside. As the vehicle moves through the polishing device, the foam-plastic pieces are pressed against the side of the tyre in its bottom part, whereby the polishing agent rubs onto the tyre. The side of the tyre on its entire circumference is polished as, while the vehicle moves forward, the tyre rotates at least once around its entire circumference with the foam-plastic pieces pressing against the side of the tyre in its bottom part.
In another known polishing device, said foam-plastic pieces are replaced by long and narrow rotating brushes in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Polishing agent is sprayed to the rotating brush that rubs it into the side of the tyre in its bottom part. In this solution, too, the side of the tyre on its entire circumference is polished as, while the vehicle moves forward, the tyre rotates at least once around its entire circumference with the brushes pressing against the side of the tyre in its bottom part.
A third known polishing device has a spray nozzle arranged on a guide rail fastened to the floor. As the vehicle moves forward through the polishing device, the spray nozzles also moves forward on its guide rail with the vehicle tyre and sprays polishing agent on the side of the tyre in its bottom part. The side of the tyre on its entire circumference is polished as, while the vehicle moves forward, the tyre rotates at least once around its entire circumference with the spray nozzle spraying polishing agent on the side of the tyre in its bottom part.
A fourth known polishing device comprises in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle several consecutively positioned fixed spray nozzles for spraying polishing agent on the tyre. The polishing device further comprises a switch runner which is positioned on the floor and on which the vehicle moves forward. As the tyre of the vehicle arrives at a specific switch in the switch runner, the spray nozzle corresponding to said switch sprays polishing agent on the side of the tyre in its bottom part. The side of the tyre on its entire circumference is polished as, while the vehicle moves forward, the tyre rotates at least once around its entire circumference and as the vehicle tyre arrives at switch on the switch runner, the switch directs the corresponding spray nozzle to spray polishing agent on the side of the tyre in its bottom part.